1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle sunroof device. A tilting lid is provided at a front part of an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle, which can be moved vertically at a rear end thereof. A sliding lid is provided at a rear part of the opening, which can be moved longitudinally.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an example of this type of a vehicle sunroof device is disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 3-73487. This device is constructed such that a tilting lid disposed at a front part of an opening formed in the roof of a vehicle is tilted up by lifter mechanisms, that a sliding lid disposed at a rear part of the opening is slid backward by slider mechanisms slidably fitted in guide rails disposed on both side edge portions of the opening. Further, interlocking means are each provided between a driving wire for driving the slider and the lifter mechanism which the interlocking means are each adapted to be disengaged after the lifter mechanism completes its rising movement and to be coupled together when the lifter mechanism starts to lower, whereby a series of closing operations of the sliding lid can be performed only by the driving wires.
In the aforementioned vehicle sunroof device, however, there is a little drawback in both lifter and slider mechanisms. That is, the lifter mechanisms for tilting the lid and the slider mechanisms for sliding the lid are disposed longitudinally one after another along the both side edges of the roof. Accordingly, the full length of the mechanism portion on each side becomes long in a longitudinal direction. And this becomes disadvantage in that inserting the mechanism portion into the roof from a rear end side of the roof becomes troublesome work. Further, there may be caused a risk for the lifter mechanisms to interfere thereof with a drain groove and a reinforcement member in order to strengthen the roof due to the provision thereof on the both sides of the roof at a front end.
Further, in the another type of conventional vehicle sunroof devices, a sliding lid for opening and closing an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle is longitudinally and slidably mounted on guide rails fixed on both sides of the opening via front and rear sliders. So that, when it is operated from a fully closed position, the sliding lid is first lowered at a rear end thereof by the rear sliders, and then substantially and simultaneously with the lowering operation, the sliding lid is also lowered at a front end thereof by the front sliders. After that, it is slid rearward (Please refer, for instance, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 5-319099).
In a conventional sunroof device such as described above, however, there is a risk that seal members mounted around edges of the opening in the roof. Especially for one at the front edge may be damaged at an earlier time due to frequent rubbing of the sliding lid against the seal member at the front edge of the opening.
In order to eliminate such a risk as described above, it is contemplated that the front end of the sliding lid in addition to a rear end is also lifted and/or lowered independently from the rear end thereof while the sliding lid is being opened or closed. But with the structure like this there would be caused unstable supports of the front and rear ends of the sliding lid, and resulting in the risk that the sliding lid may stagger in lateral directions.
In addition, in a conventional example as described above, since various types of guide means are disposed in parallel laterally of guide rails, the lateral width of the guide rail has to be increased, and this causes a problem that an opening formed in the roof has to be narrowed to an extent equal to such an increase in width.
Further, in a conventional vehicle sunroof device, sliding bodies are slidably attached to guide rails provided on both side edge portions of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, and rubber rollers are rotatably supported on the sliding bodies, whereby a movable panel (sliding lid) is moved to an opened state and/or a closed state when the rubber rollers progressively press against bottom sides of movable blocks fixed to the movable panel and production of looseness of respective parts is prevented by eliminating gaps therebetween by biasing the elastic bodies (Please refer, for instance, to Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 6-297952).
However, with the conventional sunroof device described above, when the sliding bodies slide along the guide rails in longitudinal directions, the elastic bodies move after the sliding bodies while pressing the bottom side of the movable blocks, and the structure causes a problem that the elastic bodies are subject to wear, the durability thereof thus being deteriorated.
Still further, in such a conventional vehicle sunroof device as shown in FIG. 19, a sliding lid (not shown) formed in a roof of a vehicle is supported on guide rails (a) disposed along both side edge portions of the opening. And the sliding lid has a substantially U-shaped cross section comprising a side wall (a1) on a side facing of the opening and a side wall (a2) on the side facing of the outside of the vehicle in such a manner as to slide in longitudinal directions, and a drain passage for receiving rain drops intruding from the opening into a gutter groove (a3) formed integrally with the guide rail (a). And further, the lid is slidably installed on a horizontal portion (a4) formed at an upper end of the side wall (a2) of the guide rail (a) on the side facing the outside of the vehicle via a shoe (c) in such a manner as to slide in accordance with opening and closing movements of the sliding lid.
In the conventional sunroof device described above, however, since the shoe (c) fixed to the drain (b) is fitted in the horizontal portion (a4) formed in the side wall (a2) of the guide rail (a) on the side facing the outside of the vehicle, the drain (b) has to be placed in such a manner as to bridge the side wall (a1) on the opening side. Accordingly, the height of a portion of the curved drain (b) near the center thereof becomes higher, and both ends of the drain are also raised by the thickness of the shoe (c). Then this causes structure a problem that a height-wise dimension of a storing space between the roof and the ceiling becomes more larger than required. In addition, if the height of the side wall (a1) on the opening side is lowered in order to avoid the drain (b) for interfering with the same side wall, this also causes a problem that the interior of the guide rail (a) and respective parts installed therein are exposed to the interior of the passenger compartment, and then providing unfavorable appearance.
In view of the above-mentioned problems that are inherent in the conventional art, a first object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof device that can shorten the longitudinal overall length thereof, so that assembling work can easily be performed and that interference with internal mechanism portions disposed on both sides of a roof at a front part thereof can be prevented.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof device in which an interlocking means between a lift mechanism for a tilting lid and a slider mechanism for a sliding lid can securely and smoothly perform engagement and disengagement operations.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof device which can eliminate a risk of a front end of a sliding lid rubbing against a seal member when the sliding lid is operated to be lowered at the front end thereof.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof device that has a simple construction and excellent durability and which prevents the looseness of sliders in a secure fashion.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof that can reduce the thickness of the entirety of the sunroof device so as to reduce the height-wise dimension of the storing space to as low level as possible while keeping a good appearance inside the passenger compartment.
A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle sunroof device in which front and rear ends of a sliding lid can be lifted and/or lowered independently from each other, characterized in that the front and rear ends of the sliding lid are stably supported, especially, so as to prevent the sliding lid from staggering in lateral directions, and in that the width of guide rails can be decreased so as to form a wider opening in a roof of a vehicle.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: a tilting lid provided at a front part of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle; a lifter mechanism for moving the tilting lid vertically at a rear end thereof; guide rails disposed on both side edge portions of the opening; a sliding lid provided at a rear part of the opening; and sliders for supporting the sliding lid, each of the sliders moving along the guide rails to move longitudinally through the sliding lid, wherein the lifter mechanism are provided so as to be oriented laterally at portions facing the rear end of the tilting lid on a laterally oriented cross member disposed so as to extend between front end portions of the guide rails.
Further, there is provided a vehicle sunroof comprising: a tilting lid provided at a front part of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle; a lifter mechanism for moving the tilting lid vertically at a rear end thereof; guide rails disposed on both side edge portions of the opening; a sliding lid provided at a rear part of the opening; driving means for driving the lifter mechanism and the sliders; follower wires connected to the lifter mechanism and extending rearward along the guide rails; driving wires extending forward from the driving means along the both guide rails and connected to the sliders; and interlocking means being provided between rear end terminations of the follower wires and front end terminations of the driving wires.
Further, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: guide rails provided along both side edge portions of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle; front and rear sliders slidably mounted on each of the guide rails so as to slide in longitudinal direction; a sliding lid for opening and closing the opening, the sliding lid being attached to the front slider at a front end thereof and to the rear slider at a rear end thereof; a front slider lifter mechanism via which the front end of the sliding lid is attached to the front slider; a rear slider lifter mechanism via which the rear end of the sliding lid is attached to the rear slider; first guiding means for lowering the rear slider lifter mechanism at an earlier stage of a rearward movement of the rear slider together with the sliding lid; and second guiding means for lowering the front slider lifter mechanism while the sliding lid is moving rearward, the first and second guiding means being provided on each of the guide rails.
Still further, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: a guide rail provided on an edge portion of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, the guide rail having a control groove oriented in a longitudinal direction, an upper piece provided along and above the control groove, and a switching path inclined upwardly toward a rear portion thereof for establishing a communication between the control groove and the upper piece; a sliding lid so as to be lowered from a fully closed position where the opening is closed and to be slid rearward thereby being stored under a lower side of the roof; a slider slidably fitted in the guide rail, the slider being connected to the sliding lid to support the sliding lid, the slider comprising: a sliding body slidably fitted in the guide rail; a link pivotably attached to the sliding lid at a first end thereof and pivotably attached to the sliding body at a second end thereof, the link moving between an erected position where the sliding lid is supported at the fully closed position and a flattened-out position where the sliding lid is lowered; a sliding member provided on the link so as to be brought into engagement with the control groove of the guide rail so as to hold the link at the erected position and to move via the switching path onto the upper piece so as to hold the link at the flattened-out position; and a first elastic body being provided between the sliding body and the link for biasing the sliding member toward an upper side of the control groove when the link is located at the erected position.
Still further, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: a guide rail provided on an edge portion of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, the guide rail having a control groove oriented in a longitudinal direction, an upper piece provided along and above the control groove, and a switching path inclined upwardly toward a rear portion thereof for establishing a communication between the control groove and the upper piece; a sliding lid so as to be lowered from a fully closed position where the opening is closed and to be slid rearward thereby being stored under a lower side of the roof; a slider slidably fitted in the guide rail, the slider being connected to the sliding lid to support the sliding lid, the slider comprising: a sliding body slidably fitted in the guide rail; a link pivotably attached to the sliding lid at a first end thereof and pivotably attached to the sliding body at a second end thereof, the link moving between an erected position where the sliding lid is supported at the fully closed position and a flattened-out position where the sliding lid is lowered; a sliding member provided on the link so as to be brought into engagement with the control groove of the guide rail so as to hold the link at the erected position and to move via the switching path onto the upper piece so as to hold the link at the flattened-out position; and a first elastic body provided between the sliding body and the link for biasing the sliding member toward the upper piece when the link is located at the flattened-out position.
Furthermore, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: a guide rail disposed along an edge portion of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle and having a substantially U-shaped cross section, the guide rail having a first side wall facing the opening and a second side wall facing an outside of the vehicle; a slider slidably fitted in the guide rail and moving in a longitudinal direction; a sliding lid supported by the slider so as to move between a fully closed position where the sliding lid closes the opening and a fully opened position where the sliding lid is lowered and slid rearward and stored below the roof; and a drain slidably provided on the guide rail so as to extend therebetween, wherein the first side wall facing the opening is made higher than the second side wall facing the outside of the vehicle, and the drain is slidably attached to an upper end of the first side wall facing the opening.
Further, there is provided a vehicle sunroof device comprising: a guide rail disposed along an edge portion of an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, having a substantially U-shaped cross sectional configuration and having a side wall on a first side facing the opening and a second side wall facing an outside of the vehicle, a pair of front and rear sliders slidably mounted on the guide rail, respectively, so as to slide in a longitudinal direction for supporting front and rear ends of a sliding lid for opening and closing the opening; links that can be erected and flattened out provided between the respective sliders and the sliding lid for vertically moving the end portions of the sliding lid, the sliders being moved in a longitudinal direction by driving means so as to move the sliding lid between a fully closed position where the sliding lid closes the opening and an opened position where the sliding lid is lowered from the fully closed position and is slid rearward to be stored below the roof; first guiding means for guiding a first sliding member protruding from a side of the link and vertically moving the front end of the sliding lid, the first guiding means being provided on one of opposed surfaces of the first side wall and the second side wall; and second guiding means for guiding a second sliding member protruding from a side of the link and vertically moving the rear end of the sliding lid, the second guiding means being provided on the other opposed surface.
Still further, there is provided a method for opening and closing a sliding lid for opening and closing an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: lowering the sliding lid at a rear end thereof a predetermined distance from a fully closed position where the opening is closed; moving the sliding lid slightly rearward; lowering a front end of the sliding lid a predetermined distance after the front end is moved slightly rearward away from a front edge of the opening; moving rearward the sliding lid until the sliding lid reaches a fully opened position; and moving the sliding lid following the steps in a reverse fashion when closing the sliding lid.